The World Health Organization yesterday lifted its advisory against
travel to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, saying the epidemic was
under control in the two areas.
Guangdong, where the earliest SARS cases were reported, became the
first place on China's mainland where the WHO ended such an
advisory recommending against nonessential travel. The province
reported 57 deaths and more than 1,500 cases of infection of the
disease.
"I
am pleased to note that due to the efforts of the local and
national health authorities the outbreaks in Guangdong and Hong
Kong are being contained," Gro Harlem Brundtland, the UN agency's
director-general, said yesterday from Geneva, Switzerland.
The Ministry of Health announced yesterday three new SARS deaths
and 20 more cases on the mainland.
Beijing accounted for two deaths and 15 cases, the Health Ministry
said. The other fatality occurred in the northern province of
Shanxi.
The new figures bring the mainland's death toll to 303 and the
total number of infections to 5,285, the ministry said.
The WHO, citing reasons for ending its travel ban, said the average
number of new cases in Guangdong has been below five for 11 days
and the number of patients in hospital fell below 60 on May 20.
Numbers of new cases and hospitalized patients were similarly low
in Hong Kong, the WHO said.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa welcomed yesterday's
decision to lift the travel advisory.
He
expressed hearty thanks to all Hong Kong people who have made great
efforts during the two-month struggle against SARS.
Tung also thanked the central government for its care and support
of Hong Kong's anti-SARS campaign.
He
said Hong Kong will make more efforts for zero SARS infection and
manage to let the WHO to take the city off the list of
SARS-infected areas as early as possible. The advisory was issued
on April 2.
Travel advisories are still in place for Beijing, Hebei, Inner
Mongolia, Shanxi, Tianjin and Taiwan.
(Eastday.com May 24, 2003)